THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509130159
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH AND PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
After just two years as official Amatuer Athletic Association members, Virginia youth baseball teams are putting Hampton Roads on the map.
Players from all over Hampton Roads competed in national AAU tournaments all around the country and even brought home the state's first national title.
``It's growing pretty quickly,'' said Alan Erbe, coach of the 12-under Virginia Blasters. ``The first year we only had three teams in the state. But now we have eight or 10.
``It's a chance for kids to play all-stars all year round. They get to travel and play tournament ball. It's a good opportunity for kids who are real serious about the game.''
Joining an AAU program, Erbe said, requires complete commitment from the player and his parents. Many teams play more than 50 games in the course of a year-round season. And most of the tournaments are out of state, leaving the costs not covered by fund-raising coming out of the parents' pockets.
``It's an investment in the kids' future if they were to end up getting a college scholarship later on down the road,'' Erbe said. ``We look at it as more of a year round baseball school.''
This is how many of the local teams fared:
VIRGINIA DIAMONDS U-14: The Diamonds swept through an 84-team field to win Virginia's first-ever AAU national baseball championship in Cocoa Beach, Fla., with just 12 players, while most teams sported an 18-and 20-man rosters.
The Diamonds advanced to the championship round to the final by winning eight of nine games. In the final, the Diamonds came away with a 4-1 victory over the Cocoa Expo's led by pitcher Mike Trussell's three-hit performance. Trussell also had three hits and an RBI. James Allen and Scott Smith also chipped in two hits apiece.
Catcher Brian Thompson, a Salem sophomore, pitcher/outfielder Chris Perry, first baseman Adam Reaves, Smith, Trussell, and Allen were named to the all-tournament team.
Ritchie Rivera, a Kempsville freshman, and Tyrone Bowles were named the most valuable players in the Virginia State tournament, which earned the Diamonds a berth in the national pool.
VIRGINIA BLASTERS U-11: After finishing fifth in the nation as 10-year-olds in 1994, the U-11 Blasters again proved that they are one of the premier teams in the country, finishing as national runners-up in New Orleans despite the loss of starting catcher Luke Foss early in the tournament.
``The state should be proud of these young men. Their dedication to development of their skills, team play, and respect for others and pure hard work . . . contributed to their success,'' coach Vic Wilfore said.
The Blasters finished as one of the best hitting teams in the tournament with a .343 batting average. Brett Vambell led the team at .536, followed by Russell Cramer at .429, Brian Mansfield at .417, and Jacob Dempsey at .409. Dempsey led the club with three home runs.
Matt Reardon led the Blasters with a .955 slugging percentage.
TIDEWATER DRILLERS U-10: The Drillers, who draw most of their players from Virginia Beach, placed fifth in the nation at the 10-under AAU National Championships in Kansas City, Mo.
The Drillers' Ryan Zimmerman of Sandbridge and Justin Jones of Kempsville both were named to the 20-player all-tournament team.
Zimmerman, a pitcher and shortstop, had 23 hits in 32 at-bats for a .736 average. He had 16 RBIs and a home run, and his on-base percentage was .857. He earned two victories on the mound, pitching a no-hitter and a two-hitter. Jones, a hard-throwing lefthanded pitcher and outfielder, had 12 hits, including three home runs, and 18 RBIs. He also earned two victories on the mound.
David Winfree of Creeds batted .556 for the tournament, getting 15 hits and driving in 11 runs. Winfree also earned two victories on the mound.
As a team, the Drillers batted .392 in the tournament, with a .562 on-base percentage.
VIRGINIA BLASTERS U-10: The Blasters finished 8-2 and batted .404 as a team, winning the consolation pool and finishing 17th in the nation.
Chesapeake's Scott Sizemore, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Blasters with a .759 batting average. Also producing at the plate were Chesapeake's Zac Covington (.444), Steven Parsons (.435), Michael La Fleur (.400), William Cochrane (.381) and Norfolk's Andrew Cleek (.400). Pitcher Wes Payne of Virginia Beach was 3-0 with a save and a 2.50 ERA.
VIRGINIA BLASTERS U-12: The Blasters won six consecutive games in Burnsville, Minn., and were shooting for fourth place before falling in the next two championship pool games.
``We just ran out of gas,'' Erbe said.
Leading the Blasters were Virginia Beach's David Wright, who hit .478 with 14 RBIs and scored 11 runs; Chesapeake's Ryan Crosby, owner of the fourth highest batting average (.478) in the National tournament with 14 RBIs, Chirs McKee (.500), Jeff DeMara, who won two games on the mound, striking out 17 in 11 innings with a 2.7 ERA, and pitcher Vince Cibal, who went 3-0 with 14 strikeouts in 14 innings and a 1.7 ERA.
VIRGINIA BLASTERS U-13: This national AAU Tournament in Norman, Okla., turned out to a bust for the U-13 Blasters, who were forced to come home early when ongoing rain canceled part of the competition.
The U-13 Blasters had a 1-2 record in their pool and would have moved into the consolation round, but rain forced the tournament directors to cancel that bracket. The directors felt that there would not be enough sites for the nearly 80 teams (the U-17 national tournament was held at the same site) involved to complete play in the time allowed.
``We were so disappointed. Everybody worked so hard to get there and it was such an abrupt ending,'' assistant coach John Bettis said. by CNB